Movies Should Stick to 16:9
2.4:11 is the most common aspect ratio for movies. Last I checked, 9 of the 10 top-rated movies on IMDB from last year were in this aspect ratio.
But this is a bad aspect ratio, because its height is too low, and people’s heads get cut off:
This looks odd and claustrophobic. Notice that there’s a lot of horizontal space on both sides of the person, which would have been more useful vertically. If you want to see for yourself, play a movie and look for scenes where the tops of heads are cut off. They occur frequently. Once you notice it, you start seeing it everywhere.
Movies tell a story about people. It may be a sci-fi movie, a crime movie, a fantasy, or any other genre, but ultimately, they all tell a story about people. And people are taller than they’re wide unlike, say, a dog. So 2.4:1 is a poor aspect ratio.
16:9 works better:
Notice that her head isn’t cut off. There’s some space above her head, which is a good guideline for framing — it’s more relaxed and natural. And cinematic.
Besides, 16:9 works perfectly on the billion TVs in the world, without black boxes above and below. All the space on the screen is used for the video, making it more immersive.
So, movies2 should stick to 16:9.
This is same as 2.39:1 or 2.35:1, for all practical purposes.
Documentaries may be an exception.